Nektann watched as the Queen of Metru-Nui entered the dining hall of his fortress. She was a beautiful Vortixx, tall and powerful with piercing blue eyes. She sat down at Nektann's table. "How was your trip?" the Skakdi asked. "About as well as can be expected," said the Vortixx, "Now will you kindly tell me why you cannot control your people?" Nektann sneered at her with his massive teeth. "Pardon me," he said darkly, "But what about the Matoran rebellions in Metru-Nui?" "The Matoran are weak and unintelligent," said the Vortixx, "Your people on the other hand, are violent, dangerous and rather dimwitted." Her words angered Nektann, but he wasn't about to show it. The Vortixx was Teridax's favorite ruler. If anyone tried to kill her, they would be dead within seconds. Still, he understood what she said. The Skakdi were well known for their violence, and could cause massive amounts of damage if not well controlled. However, he was not about to let her insult his kind. "Vortixx, you call my people crude and primitive," he rumbled, "But we were here before you and your kind, and we will surely be here when they are gone." "What makes you so sure of that?" The Vortixx said as a mirthful smile spread across her face. "We can trust each other, for on thing," muttered Nektann. "Let's get down to business," said the Vortixx as she crossed her arms, "Why have you sent for me?" Nektann looked away. "I need a weapon. A powerful weapon." "What do you intend to do with such a weapon?" "I'm going to use it against the rebels." "You wish to eliminate them?" "No. Why would I destroy potential recruits? I only intend to scare them with it." "You'd really risk betrayal over a few worthless rebels?" asked the Vortixx. Nektann laughed. "I honestly thought you of all people would know better," he said, "Have you never heard of using fear as a weapon?" "Only when I know they fear me," the Vortixx muttered. "My kind has been using fear for generations," the Skakdi said as he grinned, "Installing fear in your followers is truly a wonder to behold. They work harder, and are far more obedient. I am certain you employ the same principle to your city." "That's true," said the Vortixx, "So did you have a weapon in mind?" "Not really. Some kind of explosive would be nice," said Nektann. The Vortixx smiled. "How much are you willing to offer?" "You'd be surprised," answered Nektann, "Do we have a deal?" "I'll need some time to think about it," the Vortixx said as she stood up. Nektann called to a green-colored Skakdi that stood in the doorway. "Rakar, show her to her room." Roodaka ascended up the stairwell of the tower, running her hand against the rough, jagged stone that made up the wall. Ahead of her was Rakar, who lit the way with a torch. As they continued their climb, the wall began to feel different. It became less natural, and seemed to have defined shape and texture. She looked to see that the wall was a mixture of patchwork carvings. It only took her a second to determine that the wall had once been a mural, and had been cannibalized to build the fortress. The pictures were scrambled, and Roodaka could barely make out what it meant. A particular picture caught her eye. At first she thought it was a Skakdi. But then she saw the smaller figures that surrounded it. They were clearly Skakdi. They were fleeing from what appeared to be a monstrous giant. Its mouth was opened in a silent roar. "What's this?" she asked. Rakar turned and followed her gaze. He snorted. "Myths and legends," he replied, "That's a carving of Irnakk." Roodaka could sense the feeling of hatred in his voice. "Irnakk?" "It's a story they tell us to keep us in line. They say that Irnakk will get you if you don't obey the warlords," Rakar paused, "But that's not the whole story. They say old Irnakk used to rule Zakaz, until Artahka came." "Impossible," Roodaka said, "No one has ever seen Artahka." "It's a legend," Rakar said irritably, "Anyway he came and banished Inrakk somehow. But like I said, it's only a legend." The beast felt movement. The stone on its back rumbled. The motion stirred up the beast's usually dormant mind. The shaking rock made it remember the sensation of movement, a sensation that it craved to feel again. It needed to move, to hunt, to kill. Kill. The word repeated over and over in its mind. When it was free once more, the beast would kill the one who had imprisoned it, and anyone else who stood in its way. And then he would once again reign over his kingdom. Jarok continued to pound away at the stone that was known as the Skull. The enormous rock had lay undisturbed for as long as anyone could remember. It had received its name for its grim appearance, which was that of a skull enlarged to massive proportions. "How much rock do we need again?" he asked the foreman. "All of it," responded the Skakdi. Jarok sighed and continued to work. Suddenly, there was a loud crack. The workers cheered as half of the stone fell away. Jarok sighed in relief. Now that the skull had split in half, cutting it up into pieces would be much easier. He and his fellow Skakdi moved into start working when someone screamed. Jarok was shocked at the noise. It was a sound of pure terror. Before Jarok could see what had happened, the ground began to quake violently. The two halves of the Skull were pushed aside as something enormous began to emerge from the earth. Dirt and rocks flew everywhere as a monstrous bellow filled the air. The noise filled Jarok with fear and dread, something that was not normally felt by a Skakdi. Jarok was so stunned that he was unable to process what was going on. All he could hear were the screams of his companions, and the roar that drowned them out. All he could see was the golden-spined monster. The last thing Jarok saw was an impossibly huge mouth, and row upon row of dagger-sized teeth. http://www.bzpower.c...c=804#entry9324

The beast was free. His mind was intoxicated with a frenzied bloodlust brought about by the slaughtering of his most recent meal. He bellowed at the moon as he stomped through the sparse forests of his ancient home. His bloodied claws flexed, looking for something to tear. It did not take him long to find a settlement of Skakdi. The creature exposed his monstrous teeth in a ragged grin as he heard them scream. Some of them began to flee. But it did not concern the beast. There was no escape. He ran towards the village and let loose a blood-curdling roar. With one swing of his mighty arm, he demolished an entire hovel. He reached down and pulled its horrified occupant out of the wreckage. The beast tore him in half as though he were made of paper, sending entrails everywhere. He shoved the mangled corpse in his mouth, and felt its bones shatter as he chewed it with his razor-edged teeth. He began smashing the buildings to bits, killing anything he could get his claws on. His eyes glowed a blood-red color as he continued his rampage. As he moved forward through the settlement, he noticed the strange carvings that adorned the road corners. The ogre sneered at them. They were hewn in the image of some sort of armor-covered warrior. It was not a Skakdi. It did not resemble anything the beast had ever seen before. But whatever it was, it had clearly displaced him as the Skakdi's object of reverence. This enraged the beast, who had always been feared above all else. He charged forth, roaring and ready, and struck out at them with unrivaled strength. The statues crumbled like sand under his great power. He did not stop until he had destroyed every single one. Nektann looked up as a Skakdi burst into his throne room. His eyes zeroed in on the multiple wounds that covered his body. The look on his face was one of sheer terror, bordering on madness. "What is it?" asked the alarmed warlord. The injured Skakdi responded in a frantic, panicked voice. "It was him," he whispered, "It was him. He's real." Nektann glared at the messenger. "What are you babbling about?" he growled. "Our village is gone. Everyone's dead. Except for me," muttered the Skakdi. Nektann stood up from his throne. "What?!" cried Nektann, "How did this happen?" The Skakdi looked up at his ruler with frightened eyes. "Irnakk..." The messenger fell forwards, dead. Nektann could now see that the entire back half of his torso had been shredded open by some sort of animal. Nearly all of his organs were exposed. Nektann roared in anger and kicked at the corpse. The Skakdi must have gone mad during a battle, and thought he had seen the legendary myth. Nektann knew that Irnakk was nothing more than the invention of warlords to frighten their soldiers. But even so, he knew he should be wary. Whatever had done this was powerful enough to demolish a village. But Nektann would take care of the promlem. If they were rebels, he would execute them. If it was a Rahi, he could hunt it down. Suddenly, a feminine voice broke his thoughts. "What's this?" Nektann looked up to see Roodaka staring at the body on the floor. "A problem," he growled, "A big problem." Nektann looked at the spiraling pillar of smoke in the distance. He grimaced. Even from here, he could tell that the village had been completely demolished. His Tatorahk seemed reluctant to go on. He dug his spurs into its hide, prompting it to start trotting forward. As he came closer, Nektann could smell the horrid odor of charred flesh. He glanced back at his scouting party, made up of about fifteen Skakdi. His assistant Rakar had come also come along, as well as the Queen of Metru-Nui. She had insisted, stating that it was her business to know about a possible threat to Teridax's reign. As they rode into what had once been a village, Nektann looked around at the ruins. The boards of ruined huts smoldered in piles of glowing cinders. Fresh, white ash blew about in the breeze, looking like snow. Nektann dismounted and began to inspect the place. He felt his foot step in something that was wet and gelatinous. He looked down to see that he was standing in the entrails of the villagers. Every square inch of the ground seemed to be covered in their remains. But Nektann was used to such carnage, having seen it on the battlefield. But even so, he could not help feeling a sense of dread well up inside of him. Rakar was indifferent to the horror before him. He had learned long ago to look out for himself. At the moment he was scanning through the wreckage to see if their was anything that had survived. He was a very opportunistic Skakdi, and was not above looting the dead. He wandered away from the scouting party, closer to the scraggily forest nearby. It was then he heard the heavy breathing. He looked fearfully around, expecting some sort of Rahi. He saw him at the very edge of the forest. Most of his impossibly enormous body was hidden in the shadow of the trees. But that wasn't what drew Rakar toward him. It was his eyes. They gleamed in the darkness like two pools of blood. As he gazed into them, Rakar could see into another time. A time when violence and death reigned supreme. A time when all feared the giant who ruled the land. A time when the Skakdi worshipped a being other than Teridax. A time when the word death was equated with one, powerful being...Irnakk. And as he gazed into the eyes, the loose holdings that secured Rakar's sanity in place broke away. He now only wanted to do one thing. He wanted to serve Irnakk. His mind took in the orders that were given by the blood-red eyes. Rakar grinned a maniacal smile. He knew what he had to do. He knew what Irnakk wanted, and he would give it to him, no matter what the costs. Rakar turned and looked at the Queen of Metru-Nui. His grin grew even broader. http://www.bzpower.c...c=804#entry9324

Roodaka's face contorted in disgust as she prodded a corpse with her foot. The body's head looked as though it had been chewed on by some sort of animal. She wondered what could have done this. The Vortixx was convinced that some sort of animal had ravaged the village. Perhaps it had been unleashed by the rebels. As she walked through the remnants of the village, Roodaka pondered what it would take to bring down such a monster. As far as she knew, the Skakdi had long ago mastered the art of hunting, and knew how to kill every variety of Rahi on Zakaz. Whatever had attacked them had to be unknown. The Vortixx thought about hunting it down herself. She had dealt with many wild animals during her years as Viceroy of the Visorak horde. Many of those creatures had been mutated into strange, new forms. Maybe that was what had done this. A mutant Rahi. Nektann knelt down to examine the broken fragments of the statues. Whatever had destroyed them apparently had an unfathomable hatred for Teridax. Nektann grinned a little. He felt a slight satisfaction knowing that at least something out there was brave enough to disobey the Makuta's orders. He looked up as he saw Roodaka approach. "It seems we do have a problem," she said as she surveyed the village. Nektann didn't like her tone. It suggested that she thought it was his fault. "I am well aware of that," he snarled. The Skakdi stood up and glared at her. "Well what do you propose we do about it?" responded Roodaka. "I am going to deal with it like we always have," said Nektann, "We are going find whatever did this and kill it." "Brilliant," quipped Roodaka. For a brief moment Nektann fantasized about throwing her off of the highest tower in his fortress. Then he redirected his anger at the problem. He felt a burning desire to slaughter the thing that had killed his people. The beast watched the newcomers from the cover of the forest. Although he had hidden himself, he was not afraid of them. He was studying them. The beast wanted to know what they planned to do from there. He now had an ally to help him with his return to power. He watched as the rat-like Skakdi weaved in and out of the soldiers. Rakar walked up to his king, who was speaking to Roodaka. "Your majesty," he said in his oily voice, "I was wondering what we are going to do about this." Nektann turned to him and frowned angrily. "What do you think?" he snarled, "We're going to find it and kill it." Rakar smiled. "Of course," he said, "What I meant to say was what is your plan of action?" Nektann scowled. "I'm going to form a hunting party," he growled, "And then we're going to tear this island apart until we find the creature that did this." Rakar nodded. "Shall I be joining you?" asked the emerald creature. Netkann laughed cruelly. "You?" he asked, "Of course not. You're a servant, not a hunter." His words would have enraged anyone else. But not Rakar. This had been exactly what he had wanted. "So I shall see to the fortress while you are away?" "Naturally. Keep her entertained," Nektann said as he gestured to Roodaka. The Vortixx looked at Rakar with obvious contempt in her eyes. But Rakar only felt wicked glee. This was perfect. Everything was going according to his devious plan. http://www.bzpower.c...c=804#entry9324

The beast watched as the beings rode away, his ally among them. He held his head aloft and sniffed the air. He needed to find a new village. His insatiable lust for violence needed to be filled. The creature finally found a new scent. It was similar to the beings who had been near him, but different. He turned around and headed north. Karva saw the Kinloka line up in her sight. She pulled the trigger of her weapon. The well oiled mechanism made little noise as the projectile hit the rodent. The Skakdi grinned. She dug her spurs into her Tahtorak, leading the creature towards her kill. Using her rifle's secondary function, the weapon telescoped into a razor sharp lance. It was long enough for her to reach the Kinloka, pick it up, and put it in her bag. She couldn't wait for lunch. Karva turned her Tahtorak around, and started heading back to her village. Karva suddenly tensed up. Her well-trained ears heard a large, lumbering beast approaching from the south. She looked off into the gnarled trees. She saw it. It was difficult to tell what it was, as it mostly stayed in the shadows. While not quite as big as a Tahtorak, it was still gigantic. Suddenly it walked through a small patch of sunlight that shone through a gap in the branches above. Although it had only been for a second, what Karva had seen mortified her. She realized with horror that this thing was in between her and her village. Karva quickly remembered the other village that was only a few miles away. She pulled the reins of her Tahtorak and started to the north. She heard a bone-rattling roar behind her, and grimaced as she heard the giant's pace quicken. Karva knew that it would soon catch up to the Tahtorak. She heard the heart of her steed pounding. It too was frightened of this new creature. Suddenly the Tahtorak bellowed and came to a halt. Karva swiveled around to see the monster with its horrible claws wrapped around the creature's tail. She screamed as she saw its numerous teeth. The Tahtorak turned and snapped its jaws in defense. The monster roared once more, and struck out with its claws. Karva jumped off of her steed, and tumbled to the ground. She looked up just in time to see the golden-spined creature clamp its jaws the Tahtorak's neck. With a sickening ripping noise, the poor creature's head was torn loose from its body. The massive corpse fell over with an earth-rattling crash. The monster bellowed in triumph. Karva watched as it eviscerated the body with its claws, and began feasting on the carcass. It paused to look over at the shocked and terrified Skakdi. Karva saw sheer malice in its eyes as it grinned down at her. It made no attempt to attack her. It merely continued to eat its prize. Karva unsteadily got to her feet and began to run with strength she never knew she had. Roodaka lay down on her bed and put her arms behind her head. She was mystified with the whole situation. She had never seen anything like it. Destroying a village was easy, but the sheer violence and hatred expressed by the deed was disturbing. It suggested that this was the work some sort of berserkers, warriors from a time when the projectile weapon was unknown, and all killing was done by hand and blade. As far as she knew, such warriors had become obsolete when the Vortixx were created. Their skill of creating weapons was unrivaled, and soon almost every soldier was carrying a Xian-made weapon. But what had massacred the village was something else. Something had slaughtered the Skakdi like animals. But Roodaka did not care for them. She did not care for anyone other than herself. The only thing she was concerned about was staying alive long enough to return to Metru-Nui.http://www.bzpower.c...c=804#entry9324

Rakar watched Nektann's hunting party leave from high atop the castle wall. He grinned as he rubbed his clawed hands together. With the warlord and his soldiers away, the castle was virtually his. For years he had served the Skakdi empire, working his way up the ladder with his cunning and intelligence. At one time he had hoped to displace Nektann as ruler as Zakaz. But that had been before he had found his true calling. He now only desired to help his new idol assend to the throne. The Skakdi laughed quietly as he started down the stairwell. He skulked through the cold, dark halls to the throne room. As he slipped in through the thick oaken doors, he saw Roodaka sitting on Nektann's throne with her legs crossed. She gazed out at the Skakdi with her gorgon's stare. "Good morning," she said. Rakar smiled his best smile. "Good morning," he echoed as he moved into the room. He could see the Vortixx looking at him with disgust. Rakar did not blame her. He was well aware of his ugly appearance. "I see you like Nektann's throne." "It serves its purpose," Roodaka responded, "But it smells terrible." Rakar continued to smile, even though he thought that the Vortixx was without a doubt the worst person he had ever met. "Is there anything I can get for you?" he asked. Roodaka drummed her dainty fingers on the armrests of the chair. "I would ask for food," she mused, "But I don't think I'm willing to risk getting food poisoning." Rakar laughed. It was not because he was trying to appear polite. He was instead laughing at the fact that the Vortixx was so unaware of her soon-to-be fate. It would not be long until everything was ready. Nektann breathed in the crisp, cold air. He turned back to look at his hunting party. There were over fifty Skakdi, each one a veteran soldier. They looked around at the landscape with battle-scarred faces. Nekktan turned his attention to the forest ahead. As they rode toward it, the Tahtorak started tensing up and grunting nervously. There breath left fog in the chilly air. Still, the Skakdi pushed them onwards. Not a word was spoken during the trip. Everyone had already heard about the village. There was nothing to talk about. They knew that they had to kill this thing, and kill it fast. Nektann heard the Tahtorak begin to step on broken branches and crunching leaves as they entered the forest. Before the civil wars the forest had covered most of the island. It had been cut down and burned several times over until it had been reduced to a few patches of sparse woodlands. Venturing into it was like entering a completely different world. The Skakdi had grown accustomed to living in rocky, barren wasteland for the majority of their lives. It felt strange and unnatural to walk in such a dark and forbidding environment. The trees seemed to close in behind them as they entered. The beast had left his usual territory in search of another village. He once again needed to satisfy his urge to destroy. His heavy feet dug into the earth as he romped across the rocky island. The beast uttered a guttural growl. As he scanned the horizen his glowing eyes locked onto a small settlement that lay near a cliff. The creature's mouth twisted into a gruesome smile. He started toward the village with determination showing on his hideous face. "I'm not taking any chances," Veidek said as he cleaned his weapon, "You know what happened." Garuk shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not criticizing you," he said, I'm just as worried as you are. But I'm not going to waste my time trying to fight it if it shows up here." Veidek looked at his sharpened blade. Its corroded surface shone dully in the sunlight. "You remember that old war proverb, right?" Veidek said as he stared at the sword. "Yeah," responded Garuk. "If it screams, you can hurt it. If it bleeds, you can kill it." "Still, I'm not going to try and find out." Suddenly, a blood-curdling roar broke through the air. A look of horror appeared on Garuk's face. The beast bellowed as it walked into the village. It saw Skakdi emerged from their homes, weapons in hand. The tools were dropped as they saw the intruder. The Skakdi screamed as they saw the enormous predator stomp into their town. Just like before, the beast attacked. He slaughtered all he could catch. Blood splattered all over the huts, bones cracked and crunched as he wrapped his powerful claws around the Skakdi he caught. But this time, he intentionally let some get away. The beast suddenly noticed one Skakdi that stood apart from the fleeing crowd. The creature could smell his fear. But for some reason, he didn't run. Instead he aimed a weapon at the beast. He gave a war cry as he fired the spear-like projectile at the beast. It struck with full impact, prompting the beast to roar. It was not a roar of pain. The beast was simply enraged that its food source had the audacity to fight back. The creature reached down and picked up the spear. Although it had struck an area of skin, it had not penetrated. The beast flexed his fingers, and the protosteel weapon snapped into bits. The monster bore down on the terrified Skakdi with all the fury in the world, using his powerful jaws to tear the flesh from his face. His captive screamed in unbearable pain. Garuk winced as he heard the scream. He recognized it as the voice of his friend. He didn't look back. He could hear the creature savagely tearing him apart. Garuk had been right. He had seen his friend launch the spear at the monster. But it hadn't stopped him. It had impacted its skin, but fell off as though it had struck stone. Garuk had never seen anything like it before. Garuk and the rest of the Skakdi knew of only one place to run. They started for Nektann's fortress. http://www.bzpower.c...c=804#entry9324

Nektann and his army continued to go deeper into the forest. They had not yet encountered whatever was lurking inside. This made them all nervous, although they would never show it. The branches of the trees rustled in the slight breeze. Aside from that, not a sound was made. Nektann's head was thinking of all the possible battle strategies that could bring down the creature that had invaded his kingdom. Judging from what they had found at the village, it was large, powerful, and seemed to go out of its way to violently slaughter Skakdi. As long as he had been alive, he had never known a Rahi on the island that could best a Skakdi. Just the very idea of it seemed backwards. It was always the Skakdi that had been the masters of Zakaz. Even when besieged by the Brotherhood, they had eventually beaten them back. The Skakdi were known for their strength of will and inability to surrender. But not even that had stopped the creature. At that moment, Nektann's Tahtorak shuddered and stopped in its tracks. The warlord grunted and dug his spurs into its hide. But it refused to budge. Nektann roared in anger and beat the creature's head. Still the Tahtorak remained still. He looked around to see the other Tahtorak had stopped moving as well. The beasts suddenly let out a low moan that spread throughout the herd. They turned around and started back, oblivious to their angered riders. Eventually the soldiers were forced to dismount. They swore at the Tahtorak as the creatures fled out of the woods. Nektann watched them with a hard glare. "Leave them," he called out to his warriors, "From here we go on foot." Some of the Skakdi looked surprised that he would even make such a suggestion, but did not protest in any way. They gathered close together, and started following their leader. It was about this time that they noticed the smell. It hung heavy in the air, a sickening stench of death and decay. The Skakdi now realized why the Tahtorak had ran. "We're close," Nektann muttered to his second in command, "Ready your weapons." He didn't need to order them, for they had drawn them the moment they had detected the hideous odor. It grew stronger as they continued. They prepared themselves for facing whatever monster lay ahead. But they could never be prepared for what they saw in the small clearing. It was horrifying. It was the living space of some sort of sick, demented giant. The gutted-out carcass of a Tahtorak lay next to the smoldering remains of a fire, although there was no indication that it had been cooked. Bones were scattered about, bloody and raw, both Rahi and Skakdi. The intestines of the Tahtorak had been festooned about the trees like a macabre garland. The decaying corpses of the monster's victims were suspended from it. But whatever lived in the clearing of death was absent. Nektann and his army stared in silent horror. "What...thing could have done this?" someone breathed. Nektann turned back to the Skakdi. "We're going to stake this place out," he ordered in a dark, monotone voice, "And ambush it when it returns. It probably comes in through that way" he paused to point to a large opening in the trees, "So we'll hide in a ring around the clearing. Once it enters, we'll fire at it from within the bushes. If worst comes to pass, we'll set the forest on fire." His soldiers looked at him with fearful eyes. They knew the penalty for disobeying Nektann was death. But they were not eager to obey his orders either. Facing the monster that lived in this filth seemed like suicide. Every instinct told them that this was a place of unfathomable horror, not to be desecrated by anyone. The beast started walking into the forest, toward its ancient domain. Blood oozed from the dozen or so corpses he carried over his shoulder, leaving a trail of gore behind him. As he continued, his keen eyes spotted some branches that appeared to be out of place. His sniffed the air. His eyes narrowed in rage. He picked up the scent of Skakdi and Tahtorak. Judging from the amount of damage to the forest, it had to be a small army. The beast roared. He couldn't believe the gall of these small creatures. He dropped his quarry. His mind had reverted into an animal-like state. The invaders needed to be destroyed. The beast charged through the forest, knocking down trees as he ran. He uttered bellows that could be heard for miles around. All who heard them felt their blood run cold. They heard the beast before they saw it. A monstrous roar filled the air, accompanied by the cracking of tree-trunks. They could feel the vibrations of its heavy feet as it trudged on the ground. Their hearts beat faster than anyone of them could remember. They felt cold, hollow fear inside of them. And then the beast tore into its gory home. The army was unable to hold back their screams. What they saw before them was not supposed to exist. It snarled, showing its blood-stained teeth for all to see. It looked at the bushes, and was knew where they were. Some began firing at it. The beast did not even flinch. The blasts of energy did nothing. It moved toward the hidden army, and raked its claws through their hiding places. Skakdi cried out as they were dismembered. Nektann was only able to watch. The moment he had seen the beast with his own eyes, he was helpless. It was what all Skakdi feared. It was more horrifying than anyone could imagine. He saw it slaughter his army; biting, tearing, ripping, and slashing. It was ruthless and brutal, a vicious, invincible animal. This was without a doubt the creature that had haunted his nightmares for years, a monster that was death incarnate...Irnakk. Nektann suddenly saw the beast's eyes locked onto his own. It saw the warrior, and the warrior saw it. The ogre tossed the corpse it was holding aside, and moved toward the warlord. it reached out with blood-caked claws. The animal inside of Nektann overrode the warrior's desire to kill Irnakk. The Skakdi turned and fled from the terror of his dreams, shouting for the rest of his army to retreat. He heard nothing in reply except the victorious bellow of Irnakk. The echoing roar died out in the beast's throat. He had killed all of the invaders except for one. He looked around at the ground before him. It was saturated in blood, and littered with the broken bodies of his prey. He was consumed with an animalistic rage. The Skakdi had invaded his home. Clearly they still did not fear him as they used to. The beast roared once more, and tore out of the forest. Nektann ran for what seemed to be forever. He soared across the rocky landscape, looking over his shoulder every few minutes. Every time he blinked he saw the snarling face of Irnakk. Suddenly, a shape emerged in front of him. Intoxicated with fear, he screamed. A different scream filled the air, one that was feminine. The noise snapped Nektann out of his flight of terror. He could now see the thing in front of him was a Skakdi. She looked as terrified as he was. "Who are you?" he asked, trying to sound calmer than he really was. The female straightened herself out, and likewise tried to act civil. "Karva," she answered. Nektann noticed that she held her weapon in shaking hands. "Did you see it?" he whispered. The female nodded. "It killed my Tahtorak," she replied hoarsely. Nektann glanced nervously at the woods behind him. "I'm heading back to the fortress," he said quietly, "I would advise you to come with me." "I was just heading there myself," responded Karva. "What are you doing out here?" Nektann gave her a grim look. "I was leading an army." For a moment Karva looked confused. Then her puzzlement turned to horror. "You mean..." her voice trailed off. The warlord nodded. Both of them started for the fortress. Rakar looked gleefully from his spot atop the fortress walls. All throughout the countryside, villages were burning. Huge columns of smoke pointed upwards to the heavens, looking like massive tree-trunks. In the distance he could see Skakdi heading for the fortress. He grinned. It was exactly what he had seen. His master would be pleased. Rakar turned away from the sight. There was still much work to be done. http://www.bzpower.c...c=804#entry9324

Roodaka looked down at all the Skakdi that had gathered within the fortress walls. They huddled together like frightened Rahi, whispering in quiet voices. She had just emerged from her room, and had absolutely no idea what was going on. But as she walked through the crowded halls, she heard the Skakdi mention a word she had heard earlier the day before. They said it in hushed tones as though they dreaded it. Irnakk. Roodaka narrowed her eyes as she thought. The Skakdi who had told her about the creature had said it was only a myth. But she could tell by the terrorized expressions of the Skakdi that they had seen something that was truly horrifying. Now the Vortixx was genuinely concerned about whatever was loose on Zakaz. It had driven the natives out of their villages and into the sanctuary of the fortress. She pushed through the crowd back toward her room. Roodaka had decided it was best to arm herself. She quickly ascended up the steps, hearing the clicking of her heels echo throughout the tower. At last she reached the door to her room. She opened it and was surprised to see Rakar sitting in the corner, grinning from ear to ear. She glared at him with hateful eyes. "What are you doing here?" she sneered. The Skakdi laughed as he stood up. He reached behind him and pulled out his weapon, a long, dagger-like blade. Roodaka looked at it in alarm. "I have seen the truth," said Rakar, "I have seen my people's salvation." Roodaka looked into his eyes, and could see that he was clearly mad. But she was not afraid. Teridax would know if anyone dared try to harm her, and would kill them without a second thought. "What are you talking about?" she asked. Rakar's smile grew broader. "I have found the one who will lead us against Teridax," he muttered, "The one who will overthrow the tyrant and rule us forever!" Roodaka braced herself for an attack on the madman. He was rambling on against something that was impossible. One could not defeat a universe. Rakar spoke again. "The being I speak of is Irnakk," said the Skakdi, "And he requests your sacrifice." Roodaka laughed. "Do you honestly think," she spat venomously, "That Teridax will allow that? I'm surprised you're still living with the words that are coming out of your mouth." Rakar shrugged. "You will be sacrificed. Irnakk will be appeased. And Teridax will fall. A new age is upon us, Vortixx." Rakar started for her. Roodaka readied herself for attack, although she knew Teridax would vaporize him before she could kill him. Rakar grinned manically as he held the knife edge to her throat. Roodaka swatted the blade away. Rakar snarled as he slashed the dagger at her. Roodaka cried out in pain. The Vortixx froze and looked at her hand. She stared in horror as blood trickled down her fingers. She gaped at the wound on her palm. It was only a minor cut, and the bleeding would soon stop. But that was not what had stopped her. What had stopped her was the fact that she had been injured. She looked at Rakar. He was still standing there. She looked at the blade. It was stained with her blood. She tried to reason that Teridax hadn't heard her yet, and would be along in a moment. But deep down inside of her, she knew the truth. Until that moment Roodaka had considered herself invincible. She had been Teridax's favorite. She was supposed to rule in his stead. But in that brief skirmish, that illusion had been shattered. Roodaka's mind was flooded with doubt and uncertainty. She was unused to feeling such emotions. During the course of her life, she had always created such elaborate plans that nothing had ever gone wrong. This was the first time in her existence that something had not gone according to plan. And now that it had, her mind was struggling to deal with the shock. She fell back against the wall and looked at the cackling Skakdi. Roodaka was dragged into the bowels of the fortress by two burly guards. She did not resist. Her face had a blank, hollow look to it. The deeper they went into the castle, the colder and damper it became. The stonework down here was covered in moisture. It was lit only by a few pathetic torches. The Vortixx heard the creaking of an ancient, rusted dungeon door. Roodaka was thrown inside, and watched as the door closed. Only a small, wavering beam of light shown through the tiny barred window. The Vortixx curled up in a corner. Her mind was beginning to settle, although it was still a bit rattled. Her head suddenly straitened up. A noise had broken the silence of the cell. It sounded like a single footstep in the darkness. Although Roodaka could not see through the shadows, there was no mistaking it. There was someone else down here. http://www.bzpower.c...c=804#entry9324

Nektann and Karva staggered toward the fortress doors. The warlord pulled the door open with adrenaline fueled strength. He and his companion marveled at what they saw. It seemed that the majority of the population had packed themselves into the castle. They looked at their leader with hopeful, pleading eyes. Nektann looked around for Rakar. That miserable servant had some explaining to do. The Skakdi scanned the faces of the crowd until at last he had found who he was looking for. He started towards Rakar with a look of rage on his face. Nektann was surprised to see the emerald creature walk up to him. "Greetings your majesty," said Rakar, "How was the hunt?" Nektann snarled and grabbed his servant by the throat. "What is the meaning of this?" he bellowed. Rakar laughed. "You saw him, didn't you?" Rakar said, his voice heavy with madness. He turned to the frightened crowd. "You all saw him!" Nektann tightened his grip. "Speak," roared the warlord, "What do you know of this?" "He chose me," whispered Rakar, "He wants me to tell you that he's back. He is our king." Nektann glared at the servant as he lifted him in the air. "I am your king," he growled, his words dripping with hatred. Rakar started shouting. "He was here before Mata-Nui, before civilization!" he cried, "He is our great spirit! He is our true king!" Nektann could now see that Rakar was stark-raving mad. "Do you realize what you're saying?!" Nektann shouted as he slammed Rakar against the wall, "When Teridax finds out about this-" Rakar's blood-chilling laugh stopped him short. "Teridax? Has Teridax stopped him yet?" He looked out at the sea of heads that were watching the strange conversation. "Teridax can't defeat him! Don't you see? This is our chance to abolish the Makuta once and for all!" Nektann looked out at the crowd. "He's a madman," said the warlord, "That thing is nothing more than a monster. It is not a great spirit!" But he could see the faces before him. They were afraid. Nektann knew the effects of fear too well. If enough people were afraid, logic and reason lost their meaning. Societies would fall, cities would burn, and hundreds, even thousands would die... Nektann's face grew emotionless. These things had already come to pass. "If you don't heed my word you will be killed," Rakar said as he grinned, "He will find you." Nektann threw him down in disgust and looked at his gaurds. "Lock him up," he sneered, "If you can't get any information out of him, kill him!" He was stunned when no one moved. "Your majesty," a guard said quietly, "Rakar claims it will leave us alone if we just give it what it wants." The room was silent. Nektann looked at the guard. "What is that?" He spoke with little indication of what he was feeling, making everyone nervous. "He wants a sacrifice," said the guard, "He wants the Vortixx. He'll go away until the next full moon if we do." Nektann continued to bore into the guard with his steely glare. "Rakar told you this?" he whispered. The guard nodded. Immediately Nektann thrust his blade into the Skakdi's chest. He turned angrily to the terrified audience. "Nobody is to follow Rakar's orders," he bellowed. Roodaka listened to the sound of the scraping footsteps as they drew nearer to her. She heard another noise, one that sounded like ragged breathing. The Vortixx could now see a shape coming out of the darkest corner of the cell. "I know it's impolite to start a conversation like this, but do you have any food?" It spoke in a reedy, wavering voice. Roodaka squinted at the being. She could make out the shape of a Skakdi, but not much beyond that. "No," she answered. The Skakdi-thing moved closer. Roodaka could feel herself tense up. "Pardon my question. I've been here for exactly sixty-seven days, and have had nothing but rats to eat. But if you don't have anything to eat, I'll be grateful for your company." It skulked up next to Roodaka. The Vortixx cringed at what she saw. It was a Skakdi, but appeared to be deformed. He was gaunt and lanky, and was devoid of the typical head-spine that Skakdi are known for. His silvery face bore a gigantic grin, exposing his pearly teeth. His body was covered by a ragged cape. "What is your name, and how many people have you killed?" Roodaka was a little off-put by the question, but answered as best she could. "I am Roodaka," she said with as much dignity as she could muster. The Skakdi's face lit up with recognition. "Roodaka? Not The Roodaka?" he said as he smiled. The Vortixx nodded. Then a puzzled look flashed across the Skakdi's face. "Why are you here? I thought you were the queen of Metru-Nui?" "I am the queen of Metru-Nui," Roodaka snapped. "Well you can't rule a city from a dungeon," responded the Skakdi, "It's not proper, you know." Roodaka snarled and struck out at him. The Skakdi leapt out of the way just in time. "I'm sorry if I offended you," he continued, "But I've never had a friend before, and I don't quite know how to act properly." The Vortixx glared at him with her venomous blue eyes. "I'm not your friend," she hissed. The Skakdi took no notice of her obvious hatred for him. "Not yet, but you soon will be. We're going to be here for a very long time. Don't worry. There's plenty of rats for us to eat." "Don't they feed you?" Roodaka grumbled. The Skakdi frowned as he thought. "There was a guard who brought me scraps at first," he replied, "But Nektann must have killed him, because nobody seems to remember that I'm down here. Tell me, does the sun still exist?" He gazed hopefully at Roodaka. The Vortixx looked away from his unnerving grin. "Yes," she said quietly. "Good," sighed the Skakdi, "For a moment I was worried. The last time I saw it was the day I was caught. Do you know that theft is illegal? I found out the hard way. They should really write these things down somewhere, so people can remember them." Roodaka suddenly grabbed him by the throat. She pulled him closer to her, and gazed into his ruby-like eyes. "I would very much appreciate it if you would shut up now," she said icily, "Because if you don't, I'll make it so you'll never be able to talk again." The Skakdi smiled. "Alright," he whispered, "I've just one more thing to say." Roodaka narrowed her eyes at him. "What?" "If we're going to be friends, you should know that my name is Vezon." http://www.bzpower.c...c=804#entry9324

The beast looked at the fortress, and growled. It would not be long before they gave in to the fear. It satisfied him to know that inside of those stony walls, Skakdi were panicking and loosing their sense of reason. They could fight him as long as they wanted, send as many warriors as possible, but the beast would always win. He always had.Roodaka glanced over at Vezon. True to his word, he hadn't spoken to her for the past hour. He had instead retreated into the corner and stared at her intently, grinning his maniacal grin. Roodaka felt very uncomfortable. She tried to look away, but her eyes kept wandering back to the half-Skakdi. Finally she could take it no more."Stop staring at me!" she snarled."Why?" replied the Skakdi. Roodaka sneered at him. By now she had figured that he was insane, possibly more insane than Rakar. He was still staring at her. Finally she decided that as long as he was going to look at her, she might as well try to get some information from him."What do you know about Irnakk?" she asked. The Skakdi's perpetual grin vanished, and was replaced by a concerned frown."Irnakk?" he echoed, "What do you want to know about him?""Everything," Roodaka replied as she interlaced her delicate fingers. Vezon seemed hesitant."Alright," he finally replied, "But I warn you, what you're about to hear may haunt your nightmares for life." Roodaka smiled. It was a smile that belonged on a snake about to finish off its prey."Try me," she whispered. The Skakdi sighed as he began."What most Skakdi know about Irnakk is only half-true. He wasn't just a monster. He was our king. This was long ago of course, most don't remember it.""How is it that you remember?" asked the Vortixx. Vezon shrugged."I'm merely an entity created from the essence of another, chances are I inherited some forgotten information." Roodaka had no idea what he spoke of, but continued to listen to his tale."There was only one rule on Zakaz, back then. Irnakk's rule. He did what he wanted, which was typically slaughtering us and using us as food and then utilizing our entrails for decor.""No one ever tried to kill him?" asked Roodaka."He couldn't be killed. It was attempted, but even when he was assaulted by hundreds, he was unstoppable.""I find that hard to believe," said the Vortixx as she put her head in her hands. She had seen what hundreds of Skakdi were capable of. Nothing could survive such an ordeal."Of course you do. That's because you've never seen Irnakk, have you?" Roodaka shook her head. "He was something from another world, Roodaka. Another age. He was a leftover from a time when our ancestors lived in caves and hunted Rahi for food. He predated even Mata-Nui. But he wouldn't last.""So he was killed?" Roodaka asked hopefully. Vezon shook his head sadly."Not killed. Imprisoned. Eventually Irnakk posed such an enormous threat that Artahka was dispatched to deal with him. History tells us that it was a long and furious battle, but Artahka eventually trapped him beneath a stone. He's still there, waiting to be unleashed." Roodaka felt a little dissatisfied. All she had heard was an elaborated version of the story Rakar had told her."Do you know anything else? Anything that could prevent him from attacking?" Vezon thought for a moment."Well, it was customary to present a sacrifice to him every full moon and hope he wouldn't attack." Roodaka sighed bitterly. Vezon noticed her unhappiness. "Did I upset you? I'm terribly sorry."Nektann paced back and forth in his chambers. He was like an imprisoned panther skulking about in its cage. He growled angrily. His people had been turned against him by that gutless rat. He knew they would try to follow the monster's wishes. He was unable to be as intimidating as the giant, which was understandable. They hadn't confessed outright, but the warlord was able to see it in their eyes. They would try to sacrifice the Vortixx. But what surprised Nektann the most was the fact that Teridax didn't seem to notice. One would expect him to defend his prized ruler. But he hadn't. Perhaps he had grown tired of her. A chilling thought entered Nektann's mind. Perhaps Teridax hadn't protected her because he was unable to. Perhaps Irnakk was stronger than Teridax. Even to a toughened Skakdi such as Nektann, this was a terrifying thought. Irnakk was a brutal, unspeakably evil being. If he somehow came into power...there would be nowhere to hide from him.http://www.bzpower.c...c=804#entry9324

Roodaka heard someone coming the stairs of the dungeon. She looked out of the barred window to see Rakar, with several more Skakdi behind him. Roodaka felt a sense of dread inside of her, a sense of impending doom. Something that not even she could escape. She heard the screech of the door as it opened on its rusted hinges. Rakar's bloodthirsty grin was the first thing she saw."It's time," he said with wicked glee. His guards suddenly rushed at the Vortixx. Roodaka fought back instinctively, although she knew she couldn't win. She felt a sharp blow to the back of her head, and she fell to her knees. The Vortixx felt a strong cord being wrapped around her wrists. She looked up at Rakar with sheer hatred in her eyes."Do not fret, Vortixx," he cooed, "You will soon rest with our ancestors." Roodaka was dragged out of the cell. The guards were so preoccupied with her that no one bothered to close the door...Nektann heard a loud commotion from within his chambers. He stormed through the oaken doors and out into the hallway. His eyes were greeted by a horrible sight. Rakar and his followers were pulling the Queen of Metru-Nui down the corridor toward the front door. Nektann bellowed in anger as he pushed his way through the crowd of cheering Skakdi. His eyes were locked on the power-mad Rakar. He had decided now that the sniveling rat would die. He didn't care how much he knew about Irnakk. Nektann sprung at the emerald Skakdi like a lion. He grabbed him by the throat, and held his blade aloft. Rakar simply continued to grin. Nektann suddenly howled as he felt a stab of pain in his shoulder. He felt a warm liquid seep from the wound. Nektann looked over his shoulder to see his own guards holding their weapons at him. Shocked and enraged by this betrayal, he lashed out at the Skakdi. Spears snapped and blades were broken as he brutally assaulted them. He heard some of the crowd rushing towards him, but this simply drove him even further. He felt numerous wounds open on his body as he continued to fight, but barely felt any pain. Even when his weapon was yanked out of his hand, he fought viciously with his claws and teeth. Finally he was thrown into a stone wall. As his body stopped moving, he suddenly felt the dozens of injuries that he had been dealt. He waited for someone to deliver the final blow. But no one did. Nektann turned his aching head to see his people pull Roodaka to the doors. Then, everything went black.Roodaka was dragged out of the door. The moon glowered down on her from its place in the sky. It was full. All around her Skakdi shouted and cheered, but she didn't hear them. She had retreated into the depths of her mind, trying to hide away from the madness that surrounded her."Good people of Zakaz, your salvation is eminent," Rakar cried from the top of a large rock. The hoard of Skakdi listened to him as though he were Mata Nui himself. They did not think. Not once did they question the logic of this act of senseless violence. Their frightened minds had joined to form a massive, panicking thing, a thing composed of fear and instinct. All reason was abolished, all thinking had ceased. They would only do what their new leader told them to."For tonight," continued Rakar, "We will appease our great spirit, and we will be rewarded! No longer will we cower in the shadow of the Makuta! No longer will we fear his Rahkshi! For tonight, we turn for guidance from he who our ancestors worshipped!" His voice rose to a piercing cackle, "Tonight, Irnakk will feast!" The mob of Skakdi cried out in victory, thrusting their torches toward the sky.When Roodaka snapped back into reality, she was alone. She looked around. Nothing moved. Not a sound was made. The moon shone overhead, casting a silvery haze over everything. The trees cast monstrous shadows, looking like skeletal hands. Roodaka tried to move, when something pulled on her right wrist. She looked to see that she was shackled to a pole. The Vortixx stared up at the moon. It met her gaze with its cold, uncaring glow. As she continued to look at it, a strange feeling came over her. Something in the back of her head told her to get away from this place. She swiveled her head to look at the chain that bound her to the pole. Roodaka started to pull on it with all her might. It didn't budge. She continued to fight with it, swearing at the chain's inability to break. The more she struggled, the stronger the feeling became. It started in the pit of her stomach, and continued to grow until she felt as though she would burst. Roodaka frantically fought with the metal links that kept her in place, until she heard the noise. She froze. It was the distant roar of some sort of Rahi. It was a horrible, unearthly noise that made the Vortixx's blood freeze in her veins. She looked up from her chain. In the distance, some massive thing was slowly trudging toward her. Roodaka's mind screamed at her to move, to try and break the chain. But she was overwhelmed by terror. Unable to move, she stared stupidly as the thing came closer. It stopped when it was only an arm's length away.The beast stared hungrily at his sacrifice. They had done well. They had presented him with a being that was of high status. The beast smiled. This creature had been spared the work and toil that was typical of a lower class citizen. As a result, the meat was much more tender and succulent. The beast inhaled the night air. His grin grew broader as he picked up her scent. She reeked of fear.It was truly gigantic, over thirty feet tall. It had huge, powerful muscles that were covered by golden skin that glittered in the moonlight. Its fingers terminated in razor-sharp claws. It wore blue, spiked armor that was drenched with the blood of its victims. But the most terrifying aspect of the monster was its head. It was massive, and was adorned with a crest of golden spikes that ran down the length of its back. The mouth was so large that it seemed to separate the head into two halves. Inside of it was countless rows of dagger-sized teeth that dripped with what was probably venomous saliva. But then Roodaka looked into its eyes. They were two windows into its monstrous soul, and the Vortixx was able to see what kind of horrors awaited her. The eyes were that of a thinking, intelligent creature, one who was probably smarter than herself. This was far more that the cunning of a Rahi. This was something that was horrifyingly cruel and bloodthirsty, something that only existed to destroy. And as Roodaka looked into the blazing red eyes, a scream escaped from her mouth.http://www.bzpower.c...c=804#entry9324

For the first time in over two months, Vezon stepped outside. He smiled as he looked out at the landscape. It looked terrible. But anything was better than the cell he had been locked in. As he took his first steps, he heard a scream. He froze. Vezon recognized the voice as belonging to Roodaka. A feeling of concern came over the Skakdi. Roodaka had only been his companion for a few brief hours, but to him, a friend was a friend. He stumbled down the stairs, and looked around for the Vortixx. He turned around a corner of the fortress, and was horrified to see a being who had haunted his nightmares since the moment of his unnatural birth. A monstrous, blood-covered giant stood over Roodaka, reaching out for her with wicked claws. Vezon's head was flooded with panic. All of his instincts told him to run. But it was clear that the monster was going to make a meal out of Roodaka. Vezon would not allow that. In his deluded mind, she was the best friend he'd ever had. And he would save her, even if that meant dying himself.Roodaka screamed once more as the creature reached down for her. She writhed in revulsion as it wrapped its scaly claws around her. Using its other hand, it snapped the chain as though it were thread. Roodaka stared up into its hideous face. It wasted no time in opening its cavernous maw. Inside of it Roodaka saw nothing but teeth and darkness, and felt its hot, steaming breath pour out into her face. It smelled like death and decay, the odor of thousands of rotting corpses. The Vortixx was now only inches from the cavern of teeth when it slammed shut with the force of a machine. The beast turned his head to the right. Roodaka could see anger in its horrible eyes. She followed its gaze to see a gangly figure standing in the darkness. Roodaka's eyes widened as she realized that it was the insane Skakdi with whom she had shared a cell. He stood shouting profanity and throwing stones at the monster. The creature bellowed in rage and started lumbering toward him. Roodaka's bones rattled as it carried her. Her line of vision jolted with each step. But she could make out that Vezon had scurried around the monster and was pelting stones from behind him. The monster continued to make Rahi-like sounds as it turned its ugly head.The beast roared angrily as he started towards the Skakdi again. This time he charged at full speed, demolishing the dead trees that stood in his way. The Skakdi was taken back for a moment by his sudden rush, but jumped out of the way as the beast's foot came crashing down to the ground. The monster howled in fury and lashed out with his free hand. His claws missed and raked the earth instead. Enraged, the beast picked up a boulder and took careful aim at the Skakdi. Suddenly a rock struck him directly in the eye. He cried out in surprise and nearly toppled over. Instinctively he dropped both the boulder and the squirming Vortixx By the time he looked up again she was running towards the fortress.Roodaka hit the ground and was up again in a flash. Her adrenaline fueled body started for the nearest form of shelter. Behind her the monster roared in sheer rage. The Vortixx saw Vezon waving his arms in an effort to get her to follow him. She would have completely ignored him if she hadn't remembered that the doors were probably locked. She changed course and started following Vezon. Her swift and agile body had no problem catching up to his. Roodaka could not remember the last time she had ran this hard. Probably never. She had always had the upper hand in every battle she fought. But not this time.The beast watched as his sacrifice disappeared into the distance with the Skakdi. Words could not describe the animalistic hate and anger he felt. The logical thing for him to do was to start tracking them. But somebody needed to pay for his defeat. He turned his attention to the fortress. Uttering monstrous sounds, he attacked the structure with fury that has never been seen on this earth. His powerful claws tore the bricks from the foundation, smashing and cracking stone. His fists slammed the reinforced doors inwards, and they clattered to the floor. He stooped as he entered the building, hearing terrified screams from down the hallway. His eyes were greeted by an array of statues and tapestries representing the armored figure he had seen earlier. Blind with hatred, he attacked. Fabric was shredded, stone was ground to dust, walls were smashed in. He saw as Skakdi guard peek around the corner. The beast's muscular arm reached out and snatched him up, crushing his skull as he did so. He reduced the corpse into a mangled mess, and was about to leave when an idea struck him.When they were absolutely sure Irnakk was gone, the crowd of Skakdi snuck out into the hallway. What they saw left them stunned with fear. The hallway was all but destroyed. Massive holes had been made in the stone that had once been considered impenetrable. A lone torch cast an eerie shadow throughout the broken room. But on the single intact wall, was a horrible sight. An image had been drawn on the stone. It was crude; one would almost have associated it with cave art. But it was so large that it nearly took up the entire wall. It was horrifying image of a monstrous crested head with its gigantic teeth exposed. It was drawn in blood.http://www.bzpower.c...c=804#entry9324

Roodaka looked behind her. The monster was no longer in eyesight. But she knew it was following her. The Vortixx looked ahead to see Vezon climbing up a rocky cliff."Where are you going?" she called."Home," the Skakdi answered without turning back to look at her, "Come on!" Roodaka reluctantly began scaling the side of the cliff. She was very cautious, for it was still very dark. Above her she could hear Vezon humming. It would have annoyed her under normal circumstances, but she found it made it easier to follow him. She looked up again and nearly fell off. The Skakdi had disappeared. Seconds later, Roodaka saw his head pop out of the side of the cliff."Come on," he repeated. As Roodaka squinted, she could see that the opening to a small cave was in the side of the cliff. She continued to climb until she reached the little cavern, and pulled herself inside. It was rather cramped, but was at least large enough to contain both her and Vezon. The Skakdi grinned at her."Now what?" Roodaka breathed, more to herself than anyone else."I suppose we could hide here," Vezon replied, "Until Irnakk finds us again." Roodaka's mind was trying to grasp the situation, to analyze any possible way of escape. But every time she thought about that horrible creature, she could only think about how humiliatingly frightened she felt. She had been as scared out of her wits as a mere Matoran would have been, and this fact caused her great embarrassment. She had never really thought that she would ever feel that way about anything. Roodaka had always assumed she would die with dignity if she was ever to die at all."How far is the nearest port from here?" she asked. The Skakdi shrugged."I don't see how that's going to do us any good," he said, "Irnakk has probably guessed that we've already gone there. And since we haven't gone there, he will become angry and most likely destroy the ships." Roodaka turned away from Vezon and looked out at the rocky landscape of Zakaz. She was a little envious that he had figured this out before her. It made her angrier that he was probably right.The Beast walked along the coastline of his kingdom, scanning the horizon for any leaving ships. He knew that the Vortixx would try to flee from the island. But if it was the last thing he ever did he would stop her. He came across a small harbor as he continued, and saw several ships that were leaving. He could see right away the Vortixx was not among them. He grunted in anger and snapped a tree in half. He looked around on the ground for something to throw. He spotted some large boulders and grinned. Utilizing his supernatural strength, he ripped one from the earth and threw it at one of the ships. He heard the wood splinter as it made contact, and smiled as he heard its occupants drowning. He did the same to the rest of the ships, until the water was littered with broken boards and floating bodies.Nektann awoke and was surprised to find he was still living. He groaned as he stood up. His body ached everywhere, and he could already tell he had lost a lot of blood. He groggily looked around and saw that he was still alone in the hallway. The warlord began limping back to his room. He could hear his people talking in the main hall. They sounded frightened, and they had good reason to be. As Nektann entered his room, he saw the Skakdi he had met earlier that night. She was in the corner, holding her weapon tightly. Nektann almost though she was going to kill him."They've gone crazy," she whispered, "Rakar's poisoned their minds.""I'm afraid he's done more than that," grunted Nektann as he sat down, "He's got them hyped up over that creature out there. They think its going to help them." There was a brief pause in the conversation."I'm sorry I didn't try to help you," said Karva, "I thought you were dead.""So did I," agreed Nektann. He looked himself over. He had been beaten pretty badly. It was strange to think that his own people had turned against him so quickly. But he didn't mull over it for too long. Instead he thought of Irnakk. The monster had stolen the kingdom from not only him, but his people as well. And it did not look like he was going to give it up any time soon. Nektann knew that if he continued to remain in power, thousands would die."So what are you going to do?" asked Karva. Nektann looked at her with weary eyes."I don't think there's anything we can do," he replied in a crestfallen tone. It was true. That thing out there was invincible, and everyone knew it. He turned to Karva."Is anyone else resisting this madness?" he asked. Karva shook her head."Some where at first. Rakar had them killed.""How is it you survived?" asked the warlord."I kept my mouth shut," replied Karva. She paused, then added, "He's going to drive us into extinction. He's talking about raiding Metru-Nui just to present that thing with sacrifices." Nektann didn't respond. He just stared into space, thinking of what a nightmare his home had become.http://www.bzpower.c...c=804#entry9324